POLITICAL ECONOMY
- Overview
- Assessment methods
- Learning objectives
- Contents
- Bibliography
- Delivery method
- Teaching methods
- Contacts/Info
A prerequisite is the knowledge of elementary mathematics.
The exam
The exam is both written and oral. At least a pass on the written exam is the condition to have access to the oral exam.
Course goals and expected learning results
Aim of the course is to provide the student with a simple but rigorous introduction to both micro and macroeconomic basic problems. To do so, we will use elementary math and graphical analysis. Studying the interactions between individual choices and the working of social institutions will be crucial. Careful attention will be paid to the interaction between law and economics. On the one hand the law limits the set of individual choice and the working of social institutions, on the other hand the legislator should be aware of the fundamental economic questions and take them into account in the process of law making.
At the end of the course, the student should be able to use the basic studied economic concepts, deal with the studied basic economic problems and be aware of the deep interactions between economics and the law.
Course Program
The course program is divided in three parts: introductory concepts (10 hours of lectures); microeconomics (30 hours) and macroeconomics (20 hours). As introductory concepts, we will study the object and the method of economics; the difference between the market economy and the planned economy; the difference between microeconomics and macroeconomics; we will offer an overview of the history of the economic thought and we will offer a recall of the main elementary math tools useful to study economics. As for microeconomics, we will study the consumer problem; the producer problem and the market forms of perfect competition and monopoly. As for macroeconomics, we will study the national accounts principles; the national income determination problem; the keynesiam income multiplier and the IS-LM model.
Textbooks and teaching material
1. Textbook:
J.Sloman-D.Garratt, Elementi di Economia, 2014, Il Mulino, Bologna. [The first eleven chapters]
2. Lectures Book:
P.Ciocca-I.Musu, Economia per il Diritto, 2006, Bollati Boringhieri, Torino [The first five lectures and two more to choose among the others]
3. Teaching material:
On e-learning there are the slides of the lectures and the solutions of the past written exams. The latter can be obtained in copy also from Mr.Nicola Faraldo in the study room of Manica Lunga, St.Abbondio.
Teaching methods
There are about 60 hours of lectures given by the ordinary professor and about 12 hours of classes.
Office Hours: Mondays, 3pm-4pm in Manica Lunga, St.Abbondio or in Prorectorate, via Natta 14, Como, according to agreements.
Teacher's E-mail: giuseppe.colangelo@uninsubria.it